


When Flowers Bloom

by Avistella



Series: Big Book of Collections [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot Collection, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 07:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 22,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11709924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: Collection of reader insert one-shots with Gladiolus Amicitia.





	1. Book Cover

**Author's Note:**

> You can find more of my works on [my Tumblr](http://avistella.tumblr.com/)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Drama/Fluff | Your first time meeting Gladio was when he saved you from an uncomfortable situation.**

It was a lovely evening, the setting sun painting the sky in gorgeous colours. You sat at one of the outside tables of a café, a novel that had completely captivated you lying perched on the table with a nice beverage sitting beside it. You picked up your cup to take a small sip, your eyes never having once left the ink on the pages of your novel. Truly, there was no better way to spend your evening.

Just as you set your cup back down and getting to a really good part of the story, a shadow loomed over you. Making a note of where you were on the page, you turned your head to address the owner of the shadow. It was a tall and lean young man. He was rather handsome, you had to admit, but the way he sort of leaned over to tower over you made you uncomfortable, though you tried not to show it.

“Yes? Can I help you?” You asked, all the while trying to discreetly note any and all possible escape routes and excuses to give.

“Actually, I think I can help you,” the man answered, his chest puffed out with arrogance while flashing you a toothy grin. You quirked an eyebrow at his response, not understanding what this man could possibly offer to help you when you didn’t need any.

Seeing the confusion on your features, the stranger continued, “I saw how you were sitting here all by your lonesome, and I was thinking that maybe I could keep you some company.”

You bit back a sarcastic remark and instead forced a polite smile. “No, thank you. I’m fine by myself.”

You were just about to shut your book and head on your way, but the man slammed his hand onto the pages of your novel, much to your irritation. The stranger kept a smile on his visage, but it was obvious that he was displeased with your response. “Aww, c'mon. Don’t be like that. I’m not a bad person, really! You don’t know what kind of creepy guy might approach you what with you sitting here all by yourself. I’m trying to be nice.”

His stare was intense and aggressive, and you squirmed in your seat. Even after all those things you’ve read online to protect yourself from situations like these, now that it was actually happening to you, your mind completely blanked out, and whatever confidence you had whittled away with the male’s towering presence.

Just then, you felt a hand on your shoulder from behind. You jumped from surprise, but the touch was gentle and yet firm, as though it was trying to reassure you. You turned your head to look at this newcomer and became confused as to who this tall and muscular stranger was and what he wanted. There was a scar on his face, and a tattoo that seemed to stretch way beyond his arms. He intimidated you at first glance, but his expression was soft as he gazed down at you, a welcoming and friendly smile tugging on his lips.

“Hey babe,” he greeted you as though you were familiar with him, throwing you into further confusion. You’re pretty sure you would have remembered ever meeting someone like this. “Sorry I’m late. Did you wait long?” The man offered you a wink with his question, and realization dawned on you.

Visibly relaxing, you mirror this stranger’s grin. “Mm, kind of. I’m glad you’re here now though, big guy.” Hopefully this man picked up on the hidden message of yours that you were willing to accept his help.

The man nodded in understanding before turning his attention to the previous man who was bothering you. “And you are…?” It was a simple question but also a good trap for the male should he answer incorrectly.

With a small scowl, the man turned on his heel and left without another word. You watched his retreating figure before directing your attention back to the man who just saved you. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” he responded, taking a step back now that the other guy was gone. There was no need to keep up the act of familiarity, and he did so out of consideration for you to give you space. Touched by his kindness and consideration, you gestured towards the seat across from you.

“Would you like to join me? I’d love to treat you to a cup as a small token of gratitude for saving me.”

“Are you sure?” The man asked, obviously not expecting this kind of development. After all, you were just being bothered by a creep, and now you were inviting another male—and much more intimidating-looking too—to join you. Even if he did save you, the stranger thought of it peculiar.

You nodded your head. “Of course. I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure, and you don’t strike me as the person to forcefully invite yourself either.”

The man chuckled before pulling the seat out for himself. “Fair enough. My name’s Gladiolus, but my friends usually just call me Gladio.”

“Is that an invitation for me to be your friend, _Gladiolus_?” You joked as you leaned on the table and towards him, feeling quite at ease with this person.

“Yes, it is…” Gladio trailed off, not knowing your name.

You flashed him a smile, offering your own name and introducing yourself. “Then I guess I’ll accept that offer, Gladio.”


	2. In These Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff/Slice of Life | You and Gladio share a sweet moment together in bed.**

Humming softly to yourself, your eyes follow the trails your fingers make on the skin of the man you comfortably settled yourself atop. Both of your bodies are bare and flush against one another’s with clothes strewn all around the dimly lit bedroom. Gladio breathes out a satisfied sigh with one of his arms lazily draped over your waist while his other hand runs along the length of your arm in a slow and rhythmic pattern.

The sheets are a complete mess, and the blanket was haphazardly thrown over both of your figures after a heated session. You continue to hum as your fingers find their way to Gladio’s messy hair, and you absentmindedly comb through the locks to smoothen them out. As you do, you end up locking gazes with the man beneath you, and a smile crosses its way to your lips.

“What is it?” Gladio asks while attaching a chuckle at the end of his question when you stare at his eyes for too long, his deep voice breaking you out of your reverie.

“Hm…? Oh,” you breathe out when you finally register the question into your mind. Your smile widens by a bit more, and you tilt your head to the side, your hair falling over your shoulders with the action. “I was just thinking about how gorgeous your eyes are.”

The Shield pauses with his actions for a moment, and his eyes slowly widen. A few seconds later, he’s donning a wide and cheeky grin on his features. “Yeah?” He asks to confirm.

His reaction pulls a short giggle out of you before you respond, “Yeah.”

Gladio’s grin starts to melt into a smirk, and you suddenly find the room spinning around you as the man flips the both of you around without warning to switch positions. The abrupt motion elicits a shriek which becomes bubbling laughter as Gladio peppers your face with kisses, purposefully tickling you with his stubble.

You attempt to stop the man by pushing against him, but Gladio easily captures your wrists and pins them down to the bed as he continues to shower you with his kisses, smiling against your skin while he listens to your laughter he loves so much. You turn your head to try to escape, but all that does is give the Shield access to more areas for him to show his affection.

“Gladio—!” Your protest is cut off short when the man crashes his lips onto yours into a deep kiss. All of your breath leaves you, and your eyes flutter close as you melt into the Shield’s warmth.

Gladio eventually lets go of your wrists, and while his hands go to hold you by your hips, your arms wind around his neck to pull him closer against you. Pulling away with a sigh of admiration, the man gazes down at you with lidded eyes, his expression both soft yet full of fire at the same time. That look he gives you sends your heart racing each and every time, and your fingertips trace the shape of his jaw as the pair of you continue to stare at the other in silence.

“You’re beautiful,” Gladio whispers, and there are so many other things he’s said with those two simple words. Those words seem so heavy with the weight of his feelings for you, but you graciously accept them.

The Shield lies back down on the bed, claiming his spot beside you and wrapping his strong arms around your waist. You bury yourself into his chest and breathe in his scent, smiling to yourself. Gladio draws lazy circles on your lower back, and the sensation makes you sleepy in addition to the sound of his heartbeat and deep breaths.

Your eyelids start to feel heavy, and you find yourself drifting further and further away from consciousness. “Sweet dreams,” Gladio murmurs, and you know that there exists no sweeter dream than being in Gladio’s arms like this.


	3. Leave Me Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort | You slowly find yourself accepting Gladio’s company.**

“I’m fine,” you insist, but the way your voice cracks at the end suggests that you’re not. Afraid of breaking down in front of the tall and mighty Shield before you, you take a sharp turn on your heel to leave with a huff; however, you don’t get far. You’ve barely taken a step away when Gladio grasps your wrist with his firm hands, his grip unrelenting yet not exactly forceful either as he keeps you in place.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not,” you bark in return while keeping your back turned to him, struggling to get your wrist free. But Gladio is much more powerful than you, and you know there’s no way you’re going to be able to free yourself unless the man allows it.

“You are,” he states, as though it wasn’t obvious enough already. His voice is even and determined, but his heart aches to see you refusing his help when it was something you needed, even if you didn’t admit it yourself. Gladio allows his hand to slide down from your wrist, and he spreads your fingers apart with his own so that he can interlock them together. His hand is warm, and it causes your resolve to crumble even more.

You hate this. You hate showing such vulnerability to this strong and confident man because he always somehow manages to see through you, and yet he never judges you. He never thinks any less of you, and it’s _infuriating_ because you don’t know how to react. That effort in his eyes to try and understand you is so foreign and unfamiliar, but it isn’t unwelcome. It still, however, is very frightening. It’s frightening how this man makes you feel like you can trust him when you couldn’t with anyone else.

“Tell me,” Gladio breathes out. His words come out more like a plead rather than an order, and perhaps that’s why you feel so comfortable around him. Never too demanding or intrusive like most of the people you’ve ever had in your life.

Your throat suddenly feels dry, and your eyes start to sting with your vision becoming blurred. You visibly tense in defense, but at the same time, your body feels relieved as you manage to choke out, “…It hurts.”

The Shield’s eyes widen by a fraction when he realizes he was able to break down your walls. His expression softens, and his grip on your hand loosens now that you’re opening up to him, but you squeeze onto his hand to ground yourself. With his other hand, Gladio takes your shoulder and carefully guides your body closer to his, giving you more than enough time to pull away if you wanted. You don’t fight against him in the slightest.

He wraps an arm around you in a protective embrace as his lips find the crown of your head. “What hurts?” The man murmurs against your hair, his thumb tracing soothing circles on your figure.

“ _Everything_ ,” you sob out, unable to explain. You don’t know where to start.

Gladio understands though, and his eyebrows knit themselves together at his uselessness when you fully wrap your arms around the Shield ad cry openly into his chest. Gladio pulls you closer against him and rests his cheek atop your head while he runs his hands along the curve of your spine, hoping it’ll provide you at least some sense of comfort.

He doesn’t say anything at first and just allows you to cry. He doesn’t know how long you’ve been holding this in, but he knows that it’s something you need, and he gives you that time to let everything out. The man starts to slowly walk backwards, bringing you along with him when the back of his knees finally reach the couch, and he sits down.

Gladio settles you onto his lap while you’re still in the middle of your breakdown, your hands clutching so tightly onto the fabric of his shirt that your knuckles turn white. Calloused fingers thread through your hair, and Gladio starts to hum a melody that he often used for his little sister whenever she was upset.

The man’s chest rumble against you with his low and soft humming, and it helps bring you back to the present, little by little. Your sobbing eventually dies down to hiccups and sniffles, and your fingers unfurl themselves from Gladio’s shirt. Still sniffling to yourself, you separate your face from the Shield’s chest just enough tilt your head back to look up at him.

The moment the two of you lock eyes, Gladio offers you a sympathetic smile, and his fingers leave your hair so that he can brush away the stray tears that adorned your cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” Gladio apologizes, and you scrunch your face in confusion. Seeing that, the man gives a short laugh before resting his forehead with yours and continues, “I’m sorry I can’t protect you from everything that hurts you.”

You understand that Gladio is trying to be nice, but you still can’t help but answer wryly, “No one can.”

“But I can try,” the Shield responds without missing a beat. His gaze is so intense; it feels as though he’s staring straight into your soul, and it makes you want to look away. You make a move to run away from Gladio’s lap, but he wraps his arms around your waist and locks you in place. A wry smile plays on his features as he adds, “I can try, but only if you’ll let me.”

“…And what if I don’t want to let you?”

“Is that what you want?” The man answers your question with one of his own, and it throws you off guard.

“…No.” You end up answering honestly despite your initial intention to lie. Gladio has somehow managed to creep his way into the deepest corners of your heart, and it isn’t fair. Your entire life, you believed that you could handle things by yourself, but Gladio made you think twice about that.

Tired of all your internal struggle and strife, you admit defeat to your stubborn self. With a heavy sigh, you make yourself comfortable on the Shield’s lap once more, leaning against him and pressing your ear against his chest to listen to his heartbeat. It’s a comforting sound, and you feel safer than you’ve ever had before.

Gladio leans further back against the couch and breathes out a deep sigh. He holds you close against him in a peaceful silence, his warmth and toned body acting as a reminder that you’re not alone.


	4. Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort/Romance | He was your sun that gave you warmth and comfort during these long nights.**

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_   
_You make me happy when skies are gray_   
_You’ll never know dear, how much I love you_   
_Please don’t take my sunshine away…_

It was a song from a long time ago when things were still normal and everybody was happy. A time of boring peace, but peace nonetheless. It seemed so long ago that you were smiling and laughing with your friends, basking in the warmth of the sun hanging in the clear sky above. You never realized just how much you’ve taken those small things for granted. They were all nothing more than just a memory now.

The words of the song asides from the chorus have been forgotten by you. You’re surprised that you even remembered how the chorus went, but perhaps it was because those words have never rang more true than they do now with the eternal darkness looming over that it managed to creep back into your memory. You glanced down towards Gladio, your lover… your _sunshine_ , who rested his head upon your lap with his eyes peacefully closed as his chest rose and fell in a deep and even rhythm.

Your lips curved into a small smile as your fingers continue to thread through his hair. The hunter must be dead tired from all his battles he’s fought with almost no break in between, but it was a reassurance to see his expression so rarely at peace in his sleep. At the very least, you were grateful that his dreams were not full of nightmares. The world as it was right now was more than enough as a nightmare to deal with every day.

You continued to softly hum and sing the chorus of the song that meant so much more to you now. It was like a prayer to the Six that if they truly haven’t forsaken this world that they would be kind enough to spare the man who brought you so much joy throughout these troubling times and even from way before then. Even if it was a selfish wish, you wanted nothing more than to stay by Gladio’s side.

Gladio stirred, and you paused with your ministrations. With a small groan, his eyes slowly fluttered open and met with yours. You smiled down at him in greeting from his slumber, but Gladio could see that the lingering sadness in your eyes was much more prominent than usual. The man shifted around on the bed, moving away from your lap and instead sat up.

“Hey there sunshine…” Gladio breathed out, his voice still husky from sleep as he stroked your cheek with the back of his fingers and flashed you a smile. You couldn’t help but giggle at his nickname for you.

With a small sigh, you wordlessly leaned towards the male and buried your face deep to his chest. Gladio didn’t seem at all taken aback by this action, and instead softened his expression at this small show of vulnerability. You had always tried to act so strong for both his sake and yours, but you had and needed moments like this too. Moments to just let somebody else take care of you for a while.

Gladio maneuvered you around and placed you on his lap. With one hand, he stroked your hair while the other traced circles on the small of your back. He rocked you both gently, kissing you occasionally on your forehead, temple, or cheeks, filling you with a sense of comfort. He then started to sing the same song you were previously singing for him. It was a song you sung often that Gladio picked up the tune and words himself.

His voice was rough and hardened from the experiences he’s faced, and he doubted he could ever sing as well as you, but the depth of his feelings are no less than yours. “Please don’t take my sunshine away,” Gladio uttered, his grip on you increasing the slightest bit. He repeated the same line over and over, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

“Please don’t ever leave me,” you spoke to him, your fingers curling to clutch onto the fabric of your lover’s shirt.

“I won’t,” Gladio promised, pulling back just enough from the tight embrace so that he can look into your eyes and hopefully get his sincerity across to you.

“You won’t,” you repeated, more to remind and reassure yourself than anything else.

“ _I won’t_.”

And so you believed him. Gladio leaned his face closer towards yours, tilting his head to the side so as to not bump noses. He moved slowly and carefully, almost afraid that any quick movements would break whatever small peace this moment provided in the darkness of the room. Your eyelids slowly started to close, Gladio’s warm breath mingling with your own in the small gap between you two.

In what seemed like eternity, Gladio’s lips finally met yours. The kiss was soft, pairs of lips dancing with each other in a sensual manner. You hummed against the hunter, a shudder running down your spine when Gladio traced the curve of it with his fingers, his other hand sliding to the back of your neck as he deepened the kiss.

The man drank in your soft sighs against him, relishing in the warmth of your company. Not once leaving your lips, Gladio leaned you back down on the bed, being careful to not crush you with his weight as he hovered over you. His hands cupped your face before roaming down, his fingers leaving delightful tingles along the column of your neck. His palms glided over the sides of your body, gentle but firm.

You both finally pull away from with other with a small gasp for air. Your eyes find each other’s in the darkness before your eyelids flutter closed once more as Gladio returned to kissing you. He tugged at your bottom lip with his teeth before trailing his mouth down to your jaw, then your neck, and then settling on your collar bone to nip and lick at.

Gladio’s hands settled onto your hips, rubbing circles on them with the pad of his thumbs. He silently brought his face back up towards yours, silent questions lingering behind his eyes.

_Can I touch you? Can I feel you? Or would it be too painful—too emotionally draining—to do this kind of thing now?_

A smile started to stretch across your lips, though it didn’t reach your eyes. You raised a hand to stroke your lover’s cheek, his unshaven face tickling your palms. Your head tilts to the side and make yourself comfortable, wordlessly answering the man’s previous unasked questions.

_Yes, I want it too._

The world seemed to disappear after that, gone along with the haphazardly discarded clothes on the floor. But you didn’t care about that because all you could focus on was the way your hands were being tightly held by the man above your, fingers interlocked together. His grunts and your sighs mixing together in perfect harmony along with the restless creaks of the bed, filling the room.

Gladio’s touch burned and his eyes shone brighter than the sun you missed so much as he gazed down at you through hooded lids, beads of sweat trailing down his forehead as he muttered sweet words to you. It was moments like these you could forget the terrors of the night and instead only be flooded with long forgotten feelings of joy and passion. Memories flitting about in the back of your mind of all those wonderful times together before everything went wrong.

With a gasp and arch of your back, you were brought back to the present, waves of bliss washing over you as Gladio followed soon after you in your euphoria. Your tangled and joined bodies quivered against one another like a grand symphony, broken chants of each other’s names riding in the air as you held each other close.

Breathing out a deep sigh, Gladio reluctantly untangled himself from you, moving to clean the both of you up a bit before claiming his side on the bed once more and pulling you into his arms. He looked radiant and seemed to glow in the darkness as he stared at you with so much adoration that you can’t help but think this man really is the missing sun incarnate.

You snuggled in closer to the male and the sense of security he provided. Gladio loosely draped his arm over your waist, and a comfortable silence filled the space between you too as you both got lost in your own respective thoughts. You don’t know how much longer these long nights will continue, but being beside the sun like this, you think that it will all work out in the end somehow.


	5. Take Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort/Fluff |Gladio decides you need to take a break.**  
>  **NOTE:** Written in First POV (Reader's)

“Hey, you need to stop…” Gladio heaved a sigh as he placed his firm hands on my shoulders from behind. I understood full well where his concern was coming from, but I chose not to heed his warning and continued with my work, my eyes glued to the screen while my fingers continued to type. Even without looking, I can tell that Gladio was frowning, displeased at my apparent lack of care towards my well-being.

Seeing as the gentle approach didn’t work, the Shield had no choice but to use force. His hands left my shoulders, and for a moment, I foolishly thought that he would leave me alone so that I can continue with my work in peace. Suddenly, he’s gripping the sides of my body and lifting me up into the air.

“Hey!” I shrieked in protest, struggling against him at this abrupt action. Gladio said nothing and draped me over one of his broad shoulders with my legs over his chest and my torso behind his back like I weighed nothing to him.

“You haven’t been eating much.” It wasn’t a question, but rather a statement. An accusatory one at that, but still true. I bit my lower lip at his tone that was laced with worry, knowing where he was going with this. “And you haven’t been sleeping much either.”

“I’ve been busy,” I tried to explain, but he and I both knew that it was just a flimsy excuse that he wouldn’t accept. As expected, the Shield snorted in disbelief at my words and lightly smacking my legs as most likely punishment for such a weak explanation.

Gladio then started walking towards the bedroom as he replied, “You’ve been doing nothing but work day in and day out. You need a break.”

“No, I need to get shit done,” I argued, but the yawn that I tried to hold back ended up slipping through and proving me wrong.

I heard the distinct sound of the doorknob turning, followed by the creaking of the door opening. Not bothering to turn on the lights, Gladio walked inside and practically threw me down onto the bed, eliciting another shriek from my throat.

“What the hell?!” I sat up, huffing as I crossed my arms over my chest.

The Shield only pointed at me, his eyes determined. “Stay there,” he ordered before walking over to the windows. He drew the curtains back, allowing sunlight to illuminate the room, and I groaned in protest. The man then made to leave the room, pausing for a moment at the foot of the bed and repeated, “Stay. There.”

I pursed my lips and swallowed back the argument that I wanted to bark at him for interrupting my work. I still needed to do things. I had commissions to do and stories to write. I needed to give the people what they wanted from me. I couldn’t afford any time to myself.

After confirming that I wasn’t going anywhere, Gladio left the room to do who knows what. I sat there on the bed, fidgeting every now and then as I tried to weigh whether or not it was worth fighting back against the Shield’s stubbornness. Hell knows what happens when you have two stubborn people together.

Moments later, Gladio returned with a tub of my favourite ice cream from the freezer and spoon in hand. He handed them over to me without any explanation, and I had no reason to argue, so I accepted the tub and opened the lid. Gladio took the lid and set it down on the bedside drawer as I started to eat large spoonfuls of the sweet treat.

“It’d be better if you actually ate something healthy and wholesome, but this was the only thing I could think of that you’d eat without any fuss. At least you’ll have something in your system,” Gladio said as he made his way over to the foot of the bed. He had a point there. I could never refuse a chance to eat ice cream.

The bed dipped and creaked underneath the man’s weight as he sat down, his legs crossed and making himself comfortable. “Give me your legs,” he ordered, and I quirked an eyebrow. With an exasperated roll of his eyes, he added, “Now.”

Feeling quite wary as to what on earth this man could be planning, I took my time in extending my legs out to him. He grabbed hold of one of my ankles, and I was surprised to find his touch to be gentle. A soft gasp left my lips when he started to apply pressure to the muscles in my leg. I breathed out a long sigh of relief as the tension started to ebb away.

“How does that feel?” Gladio asked, the previous hardness and authority he had now gone and instead replaced with nothing but care.

I hummed in satisfaction, “Good…”

He grinned at that and continued with his ministrations as I continued to enjoy the sensation while eating my ice cream. After a few minutes of saying nothing, Gladio finally spoke, “You need to take better care of yourself.”

I grunted at the lecture that I knew was coming and tried to wriggle my leg away, but he kept a firm grip on me. “Listen,” the Shield continued, looking at me straight in the eye, “You can’t do anything for others if you don’t take care of yourself.”

“I know,” I hissed through my teeth, having heard the exact same thing many times before from other people already. From my inner voice already. “I _know_ , but I just really don’t care about myself.”

“But _I_ do,” Gladio replied almost immediately, and he sounded so desperate that it almost broke my heart. He paused with his impromptu massage and continued, “I care a _great_ deal about you.”

My teeth grazed along my bottom lip when I saw the fire in his eyes. Keeping his gaze locked on mine, he slowly started to crawl his way over, and I found myself holding my breath the closer he approached. His hands cupped my face, and I swear I could’ve melted from the warmth that radiated from him.

“I care about you,” Gladio repeated, his eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to make me believe the sincerity behind his words, and I did. I believed him.

“…I know,” I finally breathed out. “And I care about you, too.”

I watched as Gladio’s features crinkled with joy, and he leaned his face closer to rub the tip of his nose with mine, causing me to giggle. Gods, I absolutely loved this man. Almost as though reading my thoughts, Gladio let out a playful growling laugh before showering my face with fun kisses. They were ticklish, and in my attempt to pull away, I ended up toppling backwards on the bed with Gladio on top of me.

“No! Gladio, stop! Th-The ice cream—!” I protested, and he finally relented.

Gladio hummed, brushing back my hair away from my face before planting a long and loving kiss on my forehead. “You need a Do-Nothing-Day,” he suggested as he sat back up, taking hold of my leg once more and resuming his massage. “And I’m going to spoil you like there’s no tomorrow.”


	6. Only One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Drama/Fluff | You need a moment to yourself when you find Gladio flirting with somebody again.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Assassin's Festival has me feeling all sorts of things

There he was again, flirting with another woman he happened to pass by. And there it was again, the gut-wrenching feeling sinking all the way down to the pit of your stomach. You were no fool; you understood what these feelings were, but just because you could admit the truth to yourself didn't make that sickening feeling any better.

Initially, you stayed around, thinking that you could manage somehow. But then that deep voice saying those sweet words filled your ears, and you felt your heart clench painfully within your ribcage. Those words weren't directed towards you. Those warm eyes weren't looking your way, and you wondered if they would ever truly _see_ you. A wry smile tugged at your lips. It was highly unlikely.

With your hands balled into fists and unable to take much more of this frustrated pining, you turned on your heel and made to leave when Prompto stopped you. He placed a concerned hand on your shoulder, firmly turning you around enough to look at him. His eyebrows were stitched together, and for a moment, you thought that perhaps this blond boy understood you in a way.

"You okay?" He asked vaguely, but his eyes momentarily flickered over to the Shield who was still chatting up some woman you didn't know, before going back to you as he chewed on his bottom lip. Ah, so Prompto _did_ know. You didn't think you were so obvious. But if that was true, then surely Gladio must have realized your own feelings by now. After all, if Prompto knew, then surely Gladio must too.

Your lips pressed themselves together in a firm line to prevent the truth from slipping out. Once you were able to compose yourself enough, you procured the most reassuring smile you could manage at the moment before replying, "Yeah. I just need some time alone."

The young man hesitated for a moment, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he weighed his thoughts. His gaze kept on moving back and forth between you and the target of your affection. Eventually, he let go of your shoulder and gave a small nod. "Okay..." he responded meekly, his head bowed and voice tinged with slight worry.

Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you turned back around and walked off to cool your head for a moment. Both Ignis and Noctis caught sight of your retreating figure, and they were able to more or less figure out why you were going off on your own. The two men looked at Prompto who only shrugged at them in defeat. By now, Gladio had finished with his flirtatious antics, and the rest of the group decided to approach him as the woman left while giggling to herself.

"You can be _really_ dense sometimes, you know that?" They reprimanded their friend before he could ask about your whereabouts.

* * *

You wandered aimlessly around the city, fanning yourself with your hand. Even with nothing but just a tank top and short shorts, Lestallum was way too hot for your liking, and that most probably contributed to your already bad mood.

You huffed underneath your breath, trying to distract yourself with other thoughts, but all you could seem to think of was the way Gladio was flirting with that woman. You didn't think you'd be so upset, but it wasn't like this was the first time you've seen him chatting someone up either. It was in his nature; yes, perhaps he was flirtatious, but you understood deep down that it wasn't because of ulterior motives. 

You could tell that Gladio didn't throw those sweet words around because he wanted to get into somebody's pants—it was because he wanted to make that person feel good about themself. To make them feel like they were worth the attention and to maybe brighten their day. It was awfully sweet, you had to admit, but it made you feel disgusted with yourself because you wanted nothing more than to be the _only_ one to experience such things from the Shield himself.

Heaving a dejected sigh, you brought your eyes upwards and noticed a small group of men leering at you. You furrowed your brows. Although you didn't want to deal with them, you also didn't feel like turning around. In any case, if they gave you any trouble, you were more than capable of handling yourself.

Ignoring the men as best you could, you were just about successful in walking by them without any trouble when you felt a hard slap to your ass followed by a chorus of unashamed laughter. You recovered quickly from your shock at the sexual harrassment, and you bristled. With a sharp turn on your heel, you raised your hand, ready to teach these lowlife scum a lesson when somebody else beat you to it.

A large hand grasped onto the wrist of the one you assumed touched you. Your eyes trailed the arm of the the one who decided to help you out, landing upon familiar ink. Gladio twisted the other man's arm with a scowl. It wasn't hard enough to break his arm entirely—even if the Shield was more than capable of such a feat—but it was enough to make the man cry out in pain.

"That is no way to treat a lady," Gladio growled, his voice threatening and dangerously deep. You don't think you've ever heard him speak with that tone before.

The men said nothing and only nodded, fear evident in their eyes. Eventually, Gladio let go, head tilted to the side as he looked down at them with disdain and disgust. Without another word, the men scurried away before the Shield turned to look at you. He was still angry, you saw, but you couldn't tell where that anger was supposed to be directed, but you _did_ know that you were upset yourself, and you knew that your heart couldn't take much more right now. You needed space. Muttering out a single word of thanks, you were about to resume your walk by yourself.

"Hey," Gladio spoke, reaching forward and wrapping his fingers around your wrist, preventing you from taking another step further.

"Leave me alone," you hissed before he could say anything else, wanting to free yourself from the Shield's hold but unable to bring yourself to do so.

"Why?" He questioned with his grip on your wrist increasing the slightest bit, a sense of dread filling him at what your response may be.

With a bit more bite than intended, you answered harshly, "Because I don't want to see your face right now."

A hurt expression flashed across Gladio's visage, but you didn't catch it with your back still stubbornly faced to him. He slowly started to let go of you, hesitating before dropping his arm back to his side. "Did I do something wrong?" The man asked as he continued to stare at you with a piercing gaze.

"Yes," you answered impulsively before shaking your head and correcting yourself, bringing your gaze down to the ground. "I mean, no. You didn't do anything wrong."

It was true. It wasn't like Gladio and you were dating, so it wasn't like he was doing anything wrong. You were the one feeling like this; it wasn't his fault, technically speaking, but it still hurt.

"It sounds like I did. Tell me what I did wrong so that I can apologize to you," the Shield insisted, a frown marring his lips. "I hate seeing you like this."

Unable to stop yourself, you whipped back around to face the man behind you and snapped, "And I hate seeing you flirting with every single person who happens to catch your eye!!"

Gladio took a step back, surprised at your sudden outburst. His eyes widened slowly from shock at first before realization started to dawn on him, his lips parting slightly as he let out a breath that he wasn't even aware that he was holding. Your chest heaved with overwhelming emotion as you stared up at the man, your eyes becoming glossy with unshed tears. You soon realized that you were starting to cause a scene, a few people on the streets turning their heads to see what the commotion was all about, and heat rose to your cheeks.

"Let's go somewhere quieter," Gladio suggested before taking your hand and dragging you somewhere else. His touch was soft and gentle, and you didn't have it in your heart to struggle against him, so you obediently followed behind the male in silence.

The two of you stumbled upon a bench with very few people around in the area. Gladio guided you to it and sat you down. By now, the tears have started to trail down your cheeks. You didn't want the Shield to discover your feelings for him like this. You didn't want to show such an ugly side of yourself to him. Your hand shot up to your mouth, muffling the broken sob that made it past your constricted throat.

Gladio's eyes softened, and he knelt down in front of you so that he was eye-level with you. He lifted up a hand and gingerly ran his fingertips along your cheek, brushing your tears away. A ghost of a smile was painted on his lips, and you couldn't figure out just what he was thinking. Apprehension bubbled up inside you at the different possible conversations that could arise.

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind your ear, Gladio said, "Look at me." The Shield waited for you to do so before he continued, tilting his head slightly to the side, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that I was hurting you like this... Making you cry was something I never wanted to do."

"It wasn't your fault..." you murmured as you wiped your eyes with the heel of your palm now that you've calmed down.

"It is," Gladio responded, his voice carrying a hint of guilt. "I should have realized... I should have realized it, but I didn't think you were interested in me like I was in you."

You scrunched your face in confusion and leaned back. " _What_? How? I mean, the others caught on to it. How couldn't you when you're the people-person in our group?"

The Shield chuckled, a wry smile forming on his lips. "Because you're just way too good for me, and I couldn't bring myself to think that maybe you returned my feelings. I considered myself lucky to be friends with you, and I didn't want to ruin that."

You remained quiet for a moment and let the man's words sink in. "...You're lying."

"No," Gladio answered immediately, taking your hands in his and squeezing them. He looked at you straight in the eyes and firmly said, "I would _never_ lie to you. Never..."

"How long have you liked me?" You questioned, somehow still not fully convinced.

Gladio shook his head. "I don't know. My feelings for you just grew and grew before I even realized it."

"...Why me?"

"Because you're everything I need and everything I want."

The corners of your lips tugged upwards, the previous negative emotions washing away inside you. "Aren't you quoting from one of the books you've read?"

At that, Gladio laughed, his own face melting to one of a smile. "I do mean every word though."

The Shield's expression became warm when he heard you laughing again. Daringly, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on your forehead. After pulling back, he chuckled at your flustered expression as his heart raced. You were always the only one in his eyes, and you always will be until the end of time.


	7. Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff | Have you ever seen a man so beautiful you started crying?**

It was in a rather quaint park just a couple of blocks away from the Citadel when you first saw _him_. Insomnia was a bustling city that seemed like people were almost always rushing to get somewhere. You had gotten used to such a lifestyle, but you also needed some time to yourself to breath and just get away from all the deadlines and appointed meetings and such.

You had some time off, and you had decided to take advantage of the amazingly nice weather that day. With a novel in hand, you sat comfortably in one of the benches of the park, the sounds of the people and city around you buzzing in the background, but you were able to tune them out for the most part. After reading for a few minutes, you decided to give your eyes a quick break from the ink on the pages, turning your head upwards and away from your novel.

It almost seemed as though your eyes were drawn to him automatically. About a few feet away from you stood a man you couldn't tear your gaze away from. It seemed as though he was in the middle of a jog, stopping for a moment to catch his breath while your own breath hitched in your throat at how attractive this man looked.

He was rather tall and beyond well-built. His black tank top hugged onto his tanned skin, doing very little to hide the prominent and rippling muscles underneath. The man's arms looked strong and his shoulders broad. You caught a glimpse of some beads of sweat from his run trailing down what looked to be feathers tattooed onto his arms and extending all the way to his shoulders and even further into his firm back.

The man was staring straight ahead, and his profile was absolutely gorgeous. His features were sharp with a strong jaw, and...was that a scar that you saw running down along his eye? Even with that blemish, you thought of the man as beautiful. His eyes held a vibrant colour to them with an almost sultry gaze. The sun landed upon the man's hair, so full of volume and looked soft to the touch, the light giving those dark coloured locks a glorious shine.

You couldn't stop yourself. This man was just so wonderfully sculpted, you felt overcome with emotion. You're not too sure what the emotion was, exactly. Admiration? Awe? There was a strange sensation in your chest, your heart swelling and stomach fluttering. You were enraptured, that was for certain, and you were so distracted by this person's beauty that you didn't even realize that tears have formed in the corners of your eyes, cascading down your cheeks the longer you stared.

You must have stared for far too long or perhaps far too intensely because the next thing you knew, this work of art had turned his head to look in your direction. His eyes met yours, and although you felt embarrassed at having been caught and wanted to look away, you were left frozen at just how piercing his gaze was.

The man cocked his head to the side then, his lips pulling into a concerned frown as his eyebrows rose in confusion. Slowly, he turned his body and started to make his way over to you. You couldn't bring yourself to look away, staring at his approaching figure without a single flinch, your heart thudding louder and louder against your chest with each step he took to lessen the distance between the both of you.

With your novel completely forgotten, you finally became aware of how blurry your vision had become from your tears. Colour tinged your cheeks at how unsightly you must have looked when compared to this handsome human being, and you rubbed at your eyes just as the man approached you.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice deep yet smooth as velvet that you swore you could have melted right then and there. You could hear the worry laced in this man's voice, and you felt your chest clench even more that his heart may just be as beautiful as his physical features.

"Y-Yes," you stuttered out your response.

"Are you hurt?" He continued to ask as he shifted his weight between his feet as he continued to look down at your tear-stained face.

You straightened up immediately and frantically waved your hands in a dismissive gesture, "Oh, no, I'm fine! I was just so caught up in your beauty that I didn't even realize I started crying—!"

The man arched an eyebrow at that, and it was only then that you realized what you just admitted. You squeaked out a high-pitched gasp and rushed to explain, fumbling over your words, " _Oh my gods_!! I didn't mean to say that—! Wh-What I meant was—!!"

The stranger cut you off with loud and good-natured laugh, throwing his head back in mirth. You silenced yourself, find yourself once again captivated by this man before you. His laughter was melodious, and it somehow managed to pull a small smile from your lips as well with ease.

As soon as he was done laughing, he directed his attention back towards you, a friendly smile plastered on his features. "You're really interesting," he commented, unabashed. Lifting up a hand in greeting, the man introduced himself, "My name's Gladiolus. I hope to see you more often."

You accepted Gladiolus' hand, biting your bottom lip for a moment at how warm it was and how it almost seemed to engulf your own. "Likewise," you replied, giddy at the idea of seeing more of this handsome person.


	8. Cramps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort/Fluff | Gladio tries to help ease the pain of your period cramps.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Request from Tumblr

You curl in on yourself, the bedsheets rustling underneath you as you desperately clutch at your stomach and sides to alleviate the uncomfortable sensation. Another jolt of pain courses through your body, eliciting a sharp gasp from you followed by an awfully pitiful whimper. It’s during times like these that you cursed Mother Nature. You don’t know if it’s just because you have a low pain tolerance or if your friends just don’t have as bad of symptoms as you, but you can’t help but think that it’s not fair in the slightest.

A low laugh sounds from behind you where you’re curled up into a ball. “Is my usually strong girlfriend going to go down like this so easily?” Gladio jokes, arching an eyebrow at the sight before him.

You groan in frustration, bordering to that of a growl. “I’m _not_ in the mood, Gladiolus Amicitia.” You only ever use his full name like that whenever he tested your patience.

The man’s eyes grow soft, exhaling deeply before making his way over to the bed. You feel the mattress dip behind you underneath his weight, and his hand goes to rest on your arm. “I’m sorry,” he says sincerely with a surprisingly gentle voice, bowing his head low to plant his lips on the top of your head. “Does it hurt a lot…?”

You nod your head, not trusting your voice at the moment. These cramps were relentless, and you haven’t been able to rest since they started acting up. Couple that with your emotional state fluctuating due to all those hormones, and you’re pretty much left on the verge of crying. Another whimper escapes your throat, and Gladio’s heart clenches in his chest at how much pain you’re in.

“Shh, it’s okay… C'mere sweetheart…” Gladio coos, carefully scooping you up into his arms. You wince at the uncomfortable pangs that shoot through your sides at the movement, and the Shield kisses the crown of your head to try to distract you from the pain. “Where does it hurt the most?”

You place your palm a bit underneath your ribcage and answer, “Here…”

Your boyfriend simply nods, gently nudging your hand away so that he can place his own hand there, his touch warm and feather-light. He presses the pad of his thumb on the area and starts to rub slow circles to help ease that constricting tension you’re feeling. Since you’re feeling sensitive, you end up flinching every now and then, but it eventually starts feeling better.

Feeling you start to relax underneath his touch, Gladio brings his lips closer to your ear and whispers, “Where else does it hurt? I want to help make you feel good instead.”

Though his intentions are innocent, the way he phrased it makes you blush. When you see the corners of his mouth subtly twitch to that of an amused smirk, you wonder for a moment if the man worded it as such on purpose. You don’t get to dwell on the thought for much longer, the cramps still bringing you discomfort.

With a deep breath, you place your hand atop the Shield’s and guide it to the places that you can’t ignore. Gladio massages each area with utmost care and precision while peppering soft kisses across your cheeks, neck, and shoulders. He murmurs words of reassurances, and before you even know it, you end up falling asleep in his arms.


	9. Eyes on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff | You like Gladio from a distance and don't think he notices you, but he does.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Request from Tumblr

Gladiolus Amicitia was no stranger to you, but you were definitely one to him. As the only child to a single parent who worked in Lucis’ ruling council, it wasn’t strange to have you coming over to the Citadel from time to time. The first time your eyes landed upon the sworn Shield of the Amicitia family was when you were still in your early tweens. Your father had taken you along to the Citadel as he was unable to contact a babysitter after your usual one had called in last minute as there was a sudden emergency that they needed to tend to.

You trailed close behind your father, your eyes darting all over the place in awe of the huge and ornate building. You passed by a room, peering inside for a brief moment where you saw a young boy about the same age as you, swinging a wooden training sword around by himself. It was for only a quick second, but you definitely saw him, and he definitely saw you, even if you weren’t aware of it.

As you grew older and became more independent, your father didn’t bring you along to his job as often. Nevertheless, it seemed as though King Regis had grown fond of you, more than happy to invite you to come over to the Citadel as much as you’d like despite being a simple civilian. Even if you did have connections thanks to your father, in the end, you still weren’t really anyone special in regards to your direct connection with the royal family.

You were just a simple Lucian with a great interest in architecture and photography. Even if your father no longer brought you along with him due to your age and independence, with special permission from the king, you still visited the Citadel on occasion. Most of the time, you visited merely to make sure your father was doing well, bringing him his lunch if he forgot it or even bringing him a change of clothes for whenever he had to work beyond nightly hours and straight into the early mornings.

It was during those times that you would wander around the available permitted areas of the Citadel, your trusted camera hanging around your neck. Whenever you saw a nice part of the structure like a beautiful arch or intricate column, you would snap a picture, paying extra attention towards the composition. The Citadel was a truly gorgeous place, both inside and out.

Then, after each visit, you would always take the time to pass by the training room. Every time you came over to the Citadel, that young boy you saw on your first day would always be there, and you always found yourself lingering by the doors and hid yourself from his view. After some curiosity, you eventually found out that his name was Gladiolus and what his role was to the royal family.

As you grew up, you also watched the young boy grow up into a fine young man. With each visit, he seemed to grow taller with his muscles becoming more more developed and prominent. His features became much sharper, and before you even knew it, you had grown to admire the Shield. There was no denying the reason as to why your gaze would never fail to follow his movements or why your heart drummed against your ribcage.

Sometimes, you would find the Shield training alongside the Crown Prince. Your chest would always swell and stomach flutter whenever you watched Gladio exchange blows with the young prince. It warmed your heart when you saw just how sweet and caring Gladio was towards the person he was sworn to protect. It felt like the two shared a deep and brotherly bond, and you found yourself falling even further into what you felt for the man.

But still, the more you thought about it, the more you believed that it wouldn’t work out. He was _way_ beyond your league, you realized. Not to mention that you’ve seen him around Insomnia from time to time, and he almost always seemed to be flirting with a different woman each time. Sure, it pained you to see that and admit that you would never be able to pursue these feelings of yours, but that was fine. Just being able to see him at any time of the day was more than enough to consider yourself lucky.

One day, you were lingering around an area of Insomnia you’ve never really explored properly before. You took several shots of the winding roads of the area before moving on to your next destination. You were just about to turn to a new block when you heard somebody call your name. Instinctively, you turned around, your eyes widening when you saw none other than Gladiolus Amicitia himself jogging towards you.

The man slowed down to a stop a reasonable distance from you, flashing you a grin that made your heart pound as he held something out to you. It took you a moment to finally tear your gaze away from his face and down to whatever it was he held in his hand. It was your phone, or at least, it looked like your phone.

“Here, you dropped this,” Gladio explained, confirming the fact that it was indeed yours.

“Th-Thank you,” you were successfully able to squeak the words out, a pleasant tingle running through your veins when your fingers brushed along the Shield’s as you took your phone back from him.

“No problem.”

Just as you were tucking the device away back to its proper place, you realized something. Your head snapped up towards the Shield, bewilderment visible on your visage as you asked, “You know my name?”

“Of course,” he answered matter-of-factly, placing his hands on his hips while his grin widened. “I’ve seen you around the Citadel many times, taking photos left and right. I was never able to get the opportunity to talk to you though; your father’s pretty protective of you.”

The Shield laughed to himself, remembering all those times he wanted to try talking to you, only to be stopped by your father pulling him aside to talk about some mundane and absurd thing and then find you gone as soon as the two were done conversing. Even Clarus had started to join in and sabotage Gladio’s attempt to introduce himself to you, no doubt to tease his son. Eventually, even King Regis himself decided he wanted to have some fun messing with the younger Shield after hearing the story from Prince Noctis who jumped right in to participate in this unspoken game against his friend.

You bowed your head low in embarrassment, “O-Oh, I didn’t know…”

“I’ve been watching you,” Gladio admitted unabashed before rushing to explain himself, “N-Not in a creepy way, of course! But y'know, while I might know your name, I was wondering if you’d allow me to get to know _you_ more?”

You couldn’t stop the grin that spread across your lips, your face lighting up instantly. “I’d like that.”

“Great! I’ve already put my number in your phone,” the Shield replied, flashing you a mischievous wink as you gawked at the liberty he took, not that you were complaining. “I should get going. Call me whenever you’d like.”

“I will. Thank you, Gladiolus!”

The man’s expression softened, his eyes practically twinkling as he said, “Just Gladio is fine.” After that, the Shield bid his farewells, calling you by your name once more, making your cheeks heat up. Never before have you heard your name sound so pleasing to your ears.


	10. The Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort | You go over to Gladio’s place in need of comfort.**

Your footsteps waver as you try to keep your emotions in check, moving swiftly through the streets to arrive at the destination you have in mind as soon as possible. The sun has already set, and the moon hangs in the sky, and for a moment, you wonder if this really is the right choice to be visiting your boyfriend at this time. Before you can get into a debate with yourself, Gladio’s place comes into view. Your heart clenches at the promise of comfort from your boyfriend while you’re on the verge of a breakdown, and you pick up your pace.

There’s a slight moment of hesitation now that you’re standing directly in front of Gladio’s door. Your closed hand hovers in the air for a few seconds before deciding to finally knock. You chew on your bottom lip as you wait for your boyfriend to answer the door, and when he does, his face lights up upon seeing you. You wish it was the same for you, but your thoughts are too muddied for such a reaction.

“Hey, what’s up?” Gladio asks as he places a hand on his hip with one arm and leans against the doorframe with the other, surprised to have you visiting him at this hour.

You look up at the tall man to meet with his amber eyes. As brutish as Gladio might appear to be, he can easily pick up on somebody’s distress, especially through their eyes, and when he sees yours, his features shift to one of concern. His entire body language changes straght away; his shoulders pull back a bit in alertness, and he drops the hand on his hip to lie by his side. His posture is open and ready to listen to whatever it is you have to say.

A sense of shame crawls up to your thoughts of having disturbed the Shield with troubles that you deem childish and unnecessary to him. Your gaze falls to the floor, and you miss the slight furrow of Gladio’s brows as his concern for you grows. “Can—” you stop yourself, scrunching your face at how scratchy your voice is. Your throat constricts, and you place your hand atop it in a poor attempt to get it to work again.

Gladio remains quiet with an encouraging air around him, allowing you all the time you need to collect yourself and speak. You press your lips firmly together to hold back the pitiful sob that threatens to slip past, and you shake your head before trying again, “Can…stay wi…you…?”

Your voice is incredibly shaky and soft, and the Shield is only able to catch tidbits of what you said, but it’s more than enough as you keep your eyes glued to the floor. You feel Gladio’s warm hand around yours, and he gives it a gentle tug to signal you to come inside. After a curt nod of your head, the man leads you through the door and to his living room.

Although you’re reluctant to do so, you let go of Gladio’s hand and instead lace your fingers together in front of you. There’s an awkward silence in the air as you refuse to speak first, and Gladio isn’t sure how to initiate a conversation without risking making you feel even more troubled than you already showed. He sighs deeply and scratches the back of his head.

“Have you eaten?” He asks, hoping that it would be a good start, and you quietly shake your head in response. The man then continues, “It’s a bit late right now, but I can probably make something for you, unless you want Cup Noodles.”

Gladio turns on his heel to head towards the kitchen but stops in his tracks when he feels a light tug on his shirt from behind. He looks back at you with curiosity, and you shake your head again to tell him that there’s no need for him to go that far for you. “Babe, you should eat something if you haven’t yet.”

It’s getting more and more difficult for you to hold yourself back, your body trembling with overwhelming emotions. “I don’t…deserve it…” you say slowly and finish off with a sniffle.

The Shield becomes confused at your response. “What do you mean?”

You open your mouth to explain, but all that comes out is a shuddering gasp as you lose control of everything you’ve been keeping bottled up. Your legs give out on you underneath the weight of your emotions, but Gladio quickly catches your figure before you can collapse to your knees. Tears fall down your cheeks like a waterfall as the room becomes filled with your ugly sobs and wails.

Gladio pulls you against him, and you bury your face into his chest. You feel guilty staining his shirt with your tears, but his embrace is comforting, and you don’t want to pull away just yet. Gladio runs his broad hands along the curve of your spine and strokes your hair. You think he’s trying to say something to calm you down, but you can’t hear him over your own pitiful sounds.

With great ease, Gladio lifts you up and brings you to his bedroom and carefully sets you down on his mattress. Just as he does so, his cell phone on the bedside drawer rings with a new call, prompting the man to groan in frustration at the timing. You let go of the Shield to let him check his phone, and he shoots you an apologetic look.

“Crap,” he curses underneath his breath when he sees the caller ID and runs a hand through his hair. He tells you, “It’s my dad. I have to take this, sorry… I’ll be back real soon, I promise.”

You nod your head in understanding, not wanting to hold him up. He gives you a quick appreciative kiss on your forehead before answering the device and moving to another room to have his conversation, leaving you all alone in his bedroom. You still haven’t recovered, hiccuping and gasping for air, and your body flops down on the mattress, burying your face into the pillows. They smell exactly like Gladio, and it provides temporary comfort and relief while he’s busy.

You must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing you know, your eyes are fluttering open to the sensation of somebody stroking your hair in a consistent pattern. Your eyelids feel heavy and sting a bit from all your crying, but you manage to bring yourself to open them, lifting your face from the pillow.

Gladio’s form comes into view as you turn your head, and he’s smiling down at you with sympathy while sitting on the edge of the bed. He opens his arms wide for you as an invitation, and you accept it by crawling to his lap. His arms wrap around your waist while your arms hang loosely from his shoulders, and you tuck your head underneath his chin.

“Sorry,” you mutter underneath your breath, your voice incredibly raspy and unattractive, and Gladio gives you a reassuring squeeze in response.

“Hey, there’s nothing to apologize for,” the Shield says, placing a kiss on the top of your head. “You’re welcome to come over at any time and stay for however long you’d like. My life isn’t devoted to just Noctis alone; you’re important to me too. My heart belongs to you.”

“You’re so cheesy…” you comment, but the smile is evident in your voice, and Gladio knows that his words were able to get through to you, even if only by a little.

Your boyfriend chuckles, leaning back to look at you with warm eyes. His expression is soft, a small smile painted on his lips as he tucks your hair behind your ear before stroking your cheek. “I’ve been reading that romance novel you recommended to me a while back. I guess it rubbed off on me.”

“Dork,” you playfully call him with a roll of your eyes.

“Guess I’m your dork then,” Gladio responds without missing a beat, his smile turning to a proud grin that helps in making you feel better. “Now c'mon. You don’t have to tell me anything, but you should get some food into your system. Even just a few bites, please?”

You remain quiet for a second before finally relenting. “…Okay.”

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Gladio waits for you to stand up first before taking your hand and leading you towards the table where he had set up a simple meal of one of your favourite foods. Tears prick at the corner of your eyes at his kindness and consideration towards you, and you sniffle as you wipe the tears away with the back of your hand.

Gladio soothingly rubs your back, his expression conflicted. “I care for you, okay? So don’t ever feel like you need to hold yourself back with me.”

“You’re too good for me,” you comment, your lips pulling into a wry smile.

Your boyfriend shakes his head. “No, you just bring out the good in me, and I hope that I can do the same for you.”

“You already do, I think…” you admit quietly underneath your breath. If it wasn’t for Gladio, you don’t think you would have found the strength to have kept going. “Thank you.”


	11. Body Lotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff | Gladio puts body lotion on your legs.**

After patting your hair dry and putting your towel away after a refreshing shower, you grab your comb and start to run it along your hair while you rummage through your belongings in search of the novel you were reading. You were grateful that the group decided to stay at a hotel for tonight. You wouldn't necessarily consider yourself high maintenance, but there were still certain luxuries of civilization that you enjoyed over camping outdoors.

Once you finish combing through your hair, your hands happen to come across a bottle that you haven't seen in your bag before. Curious, you pull it out and read the label. It's a body lotion that you recently bought in the previous outpost but never had the chance of using. You've completely forgotten about it.

You unscrew the cap and bring the bottle close to your nose to take a small whiff to see if the scent is to your liking. You and the others were in a bit of a rush at the time, so you acted on impulse and never really had the opportunity of checking the contents of the body lotion before actually buying it.

A very subtle and pleasant scent fills your senses, and you hum in satisfaction, figuring it wouldn't hurt to give this particular product a try. With the open bottle in hand, you walk over to the foot of the bed you would be sleeping on and sit down just as the door opens with Gladio walking inside.

You glance up and flash him a welcoming smile in greeting. The guys had left to do their own thing while you decided to take a shower to clean up. It seems Gladio was the first of the four to return. The Shield returns your smile, shutting the door behind him before walking over to where you are.

"Need some help with that?" He asks as he gestures towards the product in your hand with a nod of his head.

You're perfectly capable of doing things by yourself, but there was no way you were going to pass up a chance to have Gladio pamper you and to have his hands upon your skin. "Sure," you answer with a small smirk, tossing the bottle over to the man who easily catches it with one hand.

You remain seated on the foot of the bed, and the Shield goes down on his knees so that his height is more or less level with you. He squeezes the bottle to place some of the lotion on his hands. The man then rubs his hands together to even the product out before planting his palms on your ankles.

It's a simple and innocent action, but it still feels rather intimate to you, and your teeth graze along your bottom lip. It wasn't like you and Gladio have never had skin-on-skin contact, having been friends for a while and even training together. But you and Gladio have only just started officially dating each other for a couple of weeks, surprised that the other felt the same way. This was your first relationship for you, and the Shield was more than understanding in taking the physical intimacy as slow as you wanted.

Gladio keeps his eyes glued to your legs as he runs his hands along the length of your limb, spreading and smoothing the lotion around. The warmth of his hand and the coldness of the product is almost enough to make you squirm, but at the same time, you feel a sense of peace and serenity wash over you. You feel safe with the man and trust him.

Gladio's movements are gentle and careful, afraid of possibly hurting you if he didn't watch his strength. Sometimes you forget just how soft Gladio can be despite appearances, and it makes butterflies flutter inside you. The Shield glides his hands up along your calf to your knees. Your breath hitches in your throat when his palms reach your thighs, but you don't protest or move away, and he stops at where the bottom of your shorts lie.

The man looks up at you through his lashes, a light chuckle escaping him when he sees the warmth pooling at your cheeks. He wants to make a teasing remark, but he finds himself unable to say a word, finding that his voice has failed him at this moment. Instead, the Shield takes the bottle of body lotion once again to repeat the same process on your other leg. The room is silent the entire time, both of you lost in your own respective thoughts.

"All done," Gladio announces, his warmth leaving you as he retracts his hands from your skin, and you can't help but already miss it.

Before he has a chance to stand back up to his full height, you take Gladio's face into your hands, his eyes widening by a fraction at the sudden contact. You gently pull him towards you while you lean forward at the same time. The Shield holds his breath, only allowing it to escape after he feels your lips brush upon his cheek.

"You look disappointed," you point out, amusement visible on your features as you pull away.

Gladio quickly recovers himself, an almost cocky smirk tugging at his lips as he brings his face closer to yours, resting his forehead against your own. His warm breath mingles with yours as he whispers in a low and husky voice, "I'll take what I can get. I'm a patient man."

You offer a hum of agreement. "And that's why I love you," you say as you let your body fall back onto the bed, creating some distance between you and your boyfriend once more, your cheeks flushed.

The man laughs, standing back up and crosses his arms over his chest. He tilts his head to the side, a playful grin spread across his visage. "Is that the _only_ reason?"

You place your index finger on your chin and hum, making a show of having to think. Once a few seconds have passed, you answer cheekily, "Well, that and because you're attractive. But that's about it."

Gladio barks out a laugh at that, uncrossing his arms and instead placing his hands on his hips as he shakes his head in an exasperated manner. "You've been spending way too much time with Prince Charmless."

You can't think of a witty comeback, so you just laugh while you turn yourself on the bed to lie on your stomach. The bed dips beside you as Gladio sits down on the mattress, reaching out to stroke your hair. You turn your head to look at him, and your expression melts to a bashful smile when you see the way he looks at you, like you're the single most beautiful human being to have ever entered his life. His eyes speak volumes, and you wonder how you ever got this lucky.


	12. Muscles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff/Slice of Life | You trace out Gladio's muscles.**

It's a hot, summer day, and both you and Gladio have decided to spend it as a lazy afternoon in the comfort of his apartment. The two of you are lying in bed with the sunlight illuminating the room. The window is cracked open to let in some fresh air, the sounds of the busy city making itself known just outside, but both you and Gladio are caught up in your own little world to pay it any mind.

Your lover is propped up against the headboard, one of his hands occupied with a new novel he was reading while his other one is wrapped around you, holding your body close while his fingers trace lazy circles atop the skin of your shoulder. Due to the hot temperature, Gladio has opted to go shirtless and only wear shorts while you decided to wear a simple tank top and short shorts.

You tangle your legs with Gladio's own, and you breathe out a deep but content sigh, your eyes flickering over the toned muscles of the man's figure. All of his muscles are rather well-defined, and you can't help but idly think to yourself that the Shield would make for a good reference or model for whenever you decide to draw.

Figuring it wouldn't hurt to personally educate yourself on some anatomy, you lift up a hand to place on the man's arm and then start trailing it upwards, quietly saying out loud the different names of the muscles as you trace over them. "Bicep... deltoid... trapezius..."

"Babe, what are you doing?" Gladio finally asks when he hears your voice listing out random things as your fingers dance across his skin, your touch leaving delightful tingles in its wake.

"Mapping out your muscles," you reply in a distracted manner before continuing, sliding your palm over to the Shield's chest. "Pectoral... serratus... abdominal... oblique..."

Gladio remains quiet as he lets you continue doing whatever it is you're doing. His eyes watch you as your attention is focused on several parts of his body, your fingers tracing out each dip and curve. You feel the Shield start to relax as you continue with your ministrations atop his skin, his breathing becoming much more deep and even. His eyes eventually flutter shut, the novel he was reading completely ignored by this point while he focuses on the sound of your voice and the wonderful jolts coursing through him from your touch.

The Shield starts to feel your fingers trail dangerously low, and his hand immediately shoots up to grab your wrist just as you reach the elastic of his shorts. He opens his eyes to see you peering at him, an almost innocent expression on your face, but he doesn't miss the slight twitch of the corner of your lip to that of a smirk.

"That's a dangerous path you're taking, baby girl," Gladio warns you in a deeper voice than usual, his eyes narrowing as he maintains his grip on you.

You can't help but giggle at that, prying your wrist free. It was a bit of a surprise to you how Gladio didn't resist at all, but you don't mind in the slightest. Holding his breath, your lover's attention is solely on your hand hovering in the air. His eyes don't allow it out of their sight as you slowly move your hand around. You watch his Adam's apple bob the closer you bring your hand down to his body.

Finally, you press your palm atop the Shield's clothed crotch, smiling to yourself when you hear him take a sharp breath in at the contact. Keeping your eyes locked on his face, you slowly start to rub at the growing bulge in Gladio's shorts. "Hm, do you like that?" You question with an innocent tilt of your head.

Gladio hums, placing his arms behind his head and makes himself comfortable. "You know I do," he answers with a grin, a slight flush on his cheeks.

You throw your head back and laugh at how ridiculous he is before retracting your hand. Gladio almost whines in protest, lifting his hips off the bed to try to get your attention again. But instead, you shake your head and swing one leg over his body to sit on top of him. The Shield gives you a look, almost like he was urging you, but you just giggle at him.

"It's way too hot for that," you explain with a casual shrug of your shoulders.

Gladio huffs in slight irritation, but he doesn't persist. His hands find their way to your hips, his expression changing to a scolding yet endearing one. "You're the one that started this. You should take responsibility, y'know."

Biting back a mischievous grin, you lean forward to place your lips near your lover's ear, enjoying the feel of his muscles tensing in anticipation. Languidly, you breathe out, "Make me."

That's all Gladio needed to hear, letting out a low growl before flipping the two of you around, switching positions. The Shield has his fingers wrapped around your wrists, pinning them down to the mattress on either side of your head as he hovers over you. He chuckles to himself at the surprised gasp you let slip when he presses his hips against yours.

"I'll do more than just that," he tells you before capturing your mouth into a searing kiss, one of many more to come.


	13. Try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort | You're trying your best, and Gladio sees that.**

It's a disgusting and unpleasant feeling that claws at your throat and settles in deep in the pit of your stomach. Your muscles scream and bones creak in protest, begging you to stop torturing your body already, but the ache in your heart is much more painful, and it overwhelms your body's physical reaction. You realize that it's unhealthy to continue as you are, but with each and every single breath you take, you are only met with silence and silence alone.

_It's not enough._

That simple yet heavy fact echoes in all corners of your mind, endless and annoying, but you can't shut it up. No matter how many times you plug your ears or shout, those three words repeat continuously, not giving you a moment for yourself. It keeps you up at night and does an incredible number on your physical and mental well-being.

There's a knock on your door, and Gladio waits for you to respond, but the door remains shut in his face. He hasn't seen you around lately, and any contact he had with you via phone or social media seemed like you weren't doing so well, so the Shield had decided to visit you to check up on you and make sure you were okay. He's fairly certain that you're inside, but he can't tell if you're just ignoring him or if you just didn't hear him at the door.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Gladio scratches the back of his head. He reaches in his pocket for the spare key to your apartment and places it in the keyhole. Slowly, the man opens the door and invites himself inside before closing the door shut once again behind him. His eyes scan the area and finds nothing out of place, but he hears something from your bedroom.

His feet carry him over to the room, his heart sinking as he realizes that the sound is none other than you crying and hiccuping. With great care and slight sense of apprehension, Gladio peers into your bedroom and exhales a deep breath at the sight that greets him.

You're curled up into a ball in the middle of your bed, your head tucked in between your knees with your hands over your ears. You rock yourself slowly in an attempt to soothe yourself, and Gladio takes a moment to take in the state of the room. The lights are closed, leaving only the soft glow of your laptop screen to illuminate the area. There are several papers scattered around, some of them scrunched up and some containing with what the man sees as frustrated scribbles.

Your sobs and hiccups carry through the air, and it pains Gladio immensely to see you like this. It isn't the first time he's seen you in such a pitiful state, but it doesn't make it any better either. With determination behind his footsteps, the man approaches the bed and sits down on the edge. The dip of the mattress makes you pause, finally aware of another person's presence in the room.

A familiar voice calls your name, soft and caring, followed by a warm hand stroking your hair. Somehow, you end up crying harder at the kindness that is being shown to you, your body wracking with sobs. Gladio frowns at his own uselessness and scoops you up into his arms, holding your frame tight against his in a protective embrace from anything and everything in the world that would dare harm you. He soothingly rubs your back, and the Shield presses his cheek against the top of your head, waiting for you to calm down.

"It's not enough," you blubber out in the middle of your crying, your fingers gripping onto the man's shirt. "It's never enough. Even though I try _so_ hard—even though I'm doing my best and pushing myself so hard—it's _never_ enough!"

"I know, sweetheart..." Gladio tells you, planting kisses on the crown of your head. "I know how hard you work. I know how hard you're trying."

You shake your head and bury your face against the man's broad chest, your voice coming out muffled as you ask, "Is it wrong? Am I being selfish or even pretentious to ask for attention?"

"No," Gladio answers firmly, his hold on you increasing by a fraction as though he was trying to squeeze away all of your pain and worries. "Everybody wants to be acknowledged for their efforts. It's not selfish nor pretentious. It's not wrong. You want people to see you and all the passion you put into your work. There's nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all."

You bite down on your lower lip and try to let the Shield's words sink into your mind. Being met with your silence, Gladio takes that as his cue to continue. "I see how hard you're working. I see it and admire it. ...You're wondering what's the point in continuing if nobody likes the stuff you do, right? What's the point in trying if the thing you poured your passion into doesn't get the same amount of love and attention as the amount of time and effort you put, right?"

Slowly, you nod your head. "Every time I'm proud of something, nobody ever takes the time to look at it or tell me what they think about it..."

"But there are people who still enjoy your work," Gladio insists, not letting up with trying to convince you that you and your work are worth something.

"But it's not enough," you reply, cringing internally at yourself at how childish you must sound right now.

"You're right," Gladio admits. "And it may never be enough, but for the people you touch upon, it is more than enough and more than they can ever ask for. I know I don't say this enough, but I appreciate you. I appreciate you and everything you do, and I'm sure that there are others out there that think the same."

A light and shaky hum leaves you, still not fully satisfied, but it will do for now because in the end, the only ones that should matter to you are the ones who care for you. The ones _you_ matter to, and you matter a whole great deal to Gladio.


	14. Butterflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff | It’s the little gestures shared between you and Gladio that makes your relationship with him feel wholesome.**

It’s been a few weeks since you and Gladio officially became a couple. The two of you have been on several dates since then, some sweet and romantic, and some silly and fun. Throughout those dates, both you and your boyfriend would exchange innocent contact and gestures with each other.

Sometimes, Gladio would keep an arm loosely around your waist, his body warmth and yours mingling together with a comfortable silence in the air. Sometimes, he would let you loop your arm in his, holding it close to your chest and near your beating heart. Sometimes, he would hold your hand, palms pressed flat against one another with his fingers occupying the space in between your own like a perfect fit.

And of course, the displays of affection didn’t stop there. Your heart would always skip a beat whenever the man leaned down, resting his forehead against yours and giving the both of you an opportunity to stare into each other’s eyes. Gladio’s breath would always hitch in his throat whenever you smiled at him, laughed with him, and showed interest in his day as well as the things he liked.

There was also the way the two of you would scrunch your faces as joy filled your features whenever the Shield gently cupped your cheeks and rubbed the tip of his nose with yours, the warm breaths of his laughter tickling your skin. There was no denying the way both of your hearts soared whenever the Shield would pick you up and twirl you around in the air before it became an impromptu dance with your arms wrapped around his neck and his arms protectively around your waist, laughing without a care in the world.

Rainy days were just as full of joy and love as sunny days too. You can’t even remember how many times both you and Gladio would dance outside in the rain and let the droplets and the Shield’s love wash over you. It made your heart flutter whenever your boyfriend would offer you his jacket to shelter you from the rain, a hint of concern behind his caring eyes that you might get sick. You will never forget how the pair of you would warm up afterwards with a good Cup Noodle in hand, sometimes even getting into competitions as to who could eat the fastest or slurp the loudest.

You could never stop the blush that adorned your cheeks whenever Gladio would pat your head with a proud grin on his face and praise you, whether you asked for it or not. The Shield’s heart would always thud loudly against his chest whenever he would press a lingering kiss on the crown of your head, smiling against you. It also always made him happy whenever he saw the bashful expression you wore whenever he would brush his lips along your knuckles and fingers, butterflies dancing around in his stomach.

“I love you.”

There’s never a shortage of such confessions. It’s the first text you read in the morning and the last thing you hear at night before falling asleep. Sometimes, the words are spoken in a hushed whisper, ignoring the world around you. Sometimes, the words are proclaimed as loud as for the entire world to hear. The simple but heavy phrase is spoken in between giggles and laughter, comfort and heartache, and even spur of the moment. But no matter when, where, or even who is saying it, those three beautiful words are spoken with clear sincerity.


	15. Sweetest Embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff | Just spending some simple time with your boyfriend.**

One of the many upsides to dating Gladio would be the way he lets go of all inhibitions in front of you, allowing you to see different parts of him he never dare show anyone else. When in the privacy of your presence, there's no need for all walls or pretense. The unspoken burden of being the sworn Shield to the Crown Prince, so heavy a responsibility, is lifted from the man's shoulders.

His expression relaxes, those eyebrows of his unfurrowing and the skin of his cheeks rising with a carefree grin. Gladio can be extremely playful when he wants to be, and it fills your heart with pure joy to hear his laughter ringing in the air. You had just stripped yourself down to your undergarments to change into much more suitable clothes for sleeping when you hear an almost childlike growl near your ear before a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist from behind.

You squeak as the man behind you effortlessly lifts you into the air and twirls you around. You swing your legs in halfhearted protest, your voice light and airy as you plead to Gladio to let you go even though the two of you know that your laughter and lack of a struggle say something else. Continuing to twirl you in small circles, the Shield buries his face in the crook of your neck and offers raspberry kisses, sending ticklish sensations along your skin.

The pitch of your voice rises at the teasing ministrations placed upon you, and before you can make an idle threat to the man, Gladio decides to fall back on the bed, bringing you down with him. You yelp at the abrupt descent, but you know that you're safe in the Shield's arms and always will be. His chest rumbles with his deep laughter underneath you, and you squirm around until you're properly facing him, the pair of you chest to chest and legs tangled together amongst the bed sheets.

"Meanie," you jest as you flick your boyfriend's forehead, and he scrunches up his face.

"Ow, that hurts!" He responds, but Gladio's grin is far too wide to hold any truth in his words.

You give an exaggerated roll of your eyes and decide to humour him for the time being. "Aww," you coo with pursed lips and an innocent tilt of your head. "My poor baby. Let me kiss it better."

Giggling to yourself, you plant a gentle kiss on your lover's lips, and he hums in satisfaction against you, his hands holding you by your hips. When you pull away, the Shield offers a lopsided grin. "You missed," he prompts.

"Mm, no I didn't," you shoot back before connecting your lips once more.

You can taste a hint of his previous meal in the kiss, unsurprised to find it taste like Cup Noodles. It isn't all that romantic, really, but _gods damn it, you love this man_. You tilt your head to the side to deepen the kiss, and shivers course through your body as Gladio slides a hand along your bare back to trace the curve of your spine.

His touch is soft and getle, his fingertips sending pleasant tingles against your back. You pull away for some air and rest your forehead against his, your lidded gazes locked together. Gladio sighs in admiration as he stares at you, the puff of air warm against your face. His hands continue to lovingly caress your body, squeezing the flesh every now and then as though to prove to himself that you're actually here. That you, whom he sees to be an absolute angel, are here with someone like him.

"I love you," Gladio murmurs in the silence.

No matter how many times you hear those words directed towards it, it never fails to make your heart flutter. Your expression brightens up as you reply without missing a beat, "I love you too."

Without even realizing it, the two of you are leaning your faces closer to each other like you're being pulled by some kind of strong magnetic force. The both of you meet halfway, lips meeting lips in a deep and sensual open-mouthed kiss. Tongues find their way to each other naturally, swirling around and pushing against one another in a show of passion.

The kiss is cut off short as you come up for air, finding yourself becoming more and more breathless with the man underneath you. Gladio smiles, a hint of smugness hidden behind it but is otherwise all loving and sweet, and he latches his mouth against your neck. He gingerly sucks at the skin, drawing out a soft gasp from you as you move your head to provide him more access.

The sensations of his mouth on your neck and hands on your body causes you to squirm against your lover, brushing against something hard between his legs. Gladio groans against you, the deep sound rumbling in his chest making you heat up. _Gods, how you love that sound._ Slowly, you bring yourself to sit upright and gaze at your lover underneath you in silence.

The air between you two feels heavy, but it isn't suffocating. Gladio reaches up to cup your cheeks in his palms, stroking your soft skin with his thumbs. He then proceeds to trail his hands down to your neck and continuing their descent to the valley between your breasts all the way to your thighs. Your eyes flutter shut how delicately he's treating you, and you let out a blissful sigh.

"Gods, I love you so much, you have no idea," the Shield comments with a whisper, breaking the peaceful silence.

"I think I have an idea," you muse as you shift around and purposefully brush yourself against his crotch, eliciting a very low and deep growl that almost makes your head spin. "But I wouldn't mind you showing me."

Gladio throws his head back into the bedsheets with an amused laugh before firmly grasping onto your hips. "I hope you know what you're asking for, baby girl."

You lean in close, allowing your chests to become flush with one another as your fingers thread through the Shield's dark hair. "...I do."


	16. Breaking the Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Angst | You make one last phone call to Gladio before you die.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I love suffering~~

It was eerily silent underground. It seemed as though you weren't the only one to think about trying to find shelter or escape via the underground subway that ran throughout Insomnia; unfortunately, Niflheim thought to check through that area too. The repetetive gunfire had echoed all around, followed by anguished screams and cries. You were lucky to have escaped death then, but you knew that you were merely prolonging the inevitable.

You had gotten shot, the bullet piercing a vital organ, but the human mind was really something. The will to live was an amazing thing that pushed you to continue trudging forward. It was merely adrenaline that kept you forward at first, but as the silence stretched, the more the pain started to kick in.

You didn't think anybody else was still alive here, and you had no way of knowing what was going on outside. Your only companion was the dead quiet, and you wished that it didn't have to be this way. Hissing in pain, you leaned back against a wall, and no longer able to support your weight, you slid down to the ground. The wall behind you became painted with a large streak of your blood as you descended, and you reached into your pockets for your phone.

The silence was terrifying.

You closed your eyes, listening to the ringing of the phone beside your ear as your lips moved in a silent prayer, "Pick up... _Please_ pick up..."

There was a click, signalling that the call had connected, and it was then followed by a greeting from the voice you so desperately wanted to hear. "Hello?"

" _Gladio_ ," you exhaled his name, your lungs sighing in relief at finally being able to breathe again.

"Is something wrong?" The Shield asked, and you could hear some shuffling from his side of the call. In the background, you vaguely heard the joyous laughter and high-pitched screaming of the Crown Prince and his friends, and it made you smile through the pain. The background noise started to fade away, however, and you assumed Gladio had excused himself to a more quiet area to talk with you. You weren't sure if you were thankful for that or not, seeing as you had called to keep the fear of silence at bay.

"...No, nothing's wrong," you lied through your teeth. If Gladio didn't know about the attack on Insomnia, then there was no reason for you to tell him. It was fine if he enjoyed his night happy and carefree. He would probably find out the news the next day, anyways, so there was no reason for you to take that away from him. But even so, you were selfish.

"Are you sure?" Gladio insisted, a sense of unease gripping at his chest for some reason.

You chuckled wryly at the concern in his voice. If only he knew... "Yes, I just... I wanted to hear your voice. I miss you."

"I miss you too, babe," he answered with affection and tenderness, and you had to stop yourself from choking on a sob.

Your head tilted back to lean against the wall, your free hand clutching desperately at your wound. It felt warm yet cold at the same time, nothing like all those times Gladio would hold you. He was always warm, you remembered fondly. Your consciousness was starting to fade, your vision growing hazy. You couldn't tell if it was because of your impending death or your tears. Perhaps both.

Seeing as the silence has returned, you speak up to break it, "I love you."

"I love you too," Gladio replied without missing a beat, chuckling underneath his breath. It always made his heart flutter whenever you would say those words to him.

You closed your eyes in satisfaction and gratitude, your chest clenching with regret and guilt. "Gladiolus Amicitia... I love you and will always love you. I want you to know that. I want you to understand that."

"...Are you sure you're okay?"

Perhaps it was too suspicious of you to say something so intimate, for a lack of a better word, so suddenly like that, but you needed to say it. You absolutely _had_ to say it, or else you would have never forgiven yourself. Trying to keep your breathing in check, you answered slowly, "Yes... I'm just...a bit tired."

"In that case, you should go rest, sweetheart," the Shield gently suggested, and for a brief second, you felt your throat constrict.

" _No_ ," you stubbornly choked out. "I don't want to."

_I don't want to die._

"I don't want to go to sleep without you by my side."

_I don't want to die alone._

You could hear Gladio shifting around to get to a more comfortable position. "I'll stay on the phone with you until you go to sleep. Is that okay?"

_No, I want to talk to you longer._

"Yeah, that's fine," you relented, admitting defeat. You already knew that you wouldn't have made it, but after being able to talk with Gladio again, you couldn't help but have hoped that maybe a miracle could have happened. "...Thank you."

"Anything for you, baby girl. Now, what should I talk about to help you sleep...?"

_A love story._

"Our love story," you suggested with a breathy laugh, your grip on reality growing weaker and weaker. "Tell me what you thought about our time together. What you loved about me and our memories."

The Shield seemed enthusiastic about your idea, if not slightly embarrassed, and easily recalled all the memories you've shared. He spoke about how he felt the first time he saw you and how overjoyed he was when he found out you returned his feelings. He painted a picture for you on how your first kiss was like for him, and he recalled his first date with you.

When you were no longer responding, Gladio let out a soft exhale and made a promise. In the dark and quiet subway, the soft and gentle words that were spoken through the phone didn't reach its intended recipient: "I'm sorry I can't be with you right now, but I'll call you tomorrow morning to make up for the fact that I can't be beside you when you wake up. Sleep well, and good dreams. I love you."

...

_The number you have called is unavailable._

...

...

**The number you have called is unavailable.**

...

...

...

_**The number you have called is—** _


	17. Distortions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort | You feel disconnected with your own body.**

_Disgusting_. Disgusting disgusting disgusting— _absolutely **disgusting**_. You inwardly cringed as your fingers curled into fists before loosening, repeating the action over and over again to give you some semblence of sanity. You felt disgusted with your body; it felt _dirty_ on the inside, and no matter how hard you tried to shake those thoughts away, they remained embedded into your mind, filling you with self-loathing and dread. How you hated your own body. How you hated how you felt in it. It didn't belong to you, or at least, it didn't _feel_ like it belonged to you, and it aggravated you on how out of sync you felt with _your own body_.

Why couldn't you just shed off your current skin and get a new one? Why was it that no matter how hard you sratched, clawed, cut, or burned yourself did it feel completely useless? Like you didn't even belong in it? Why did it hurt so much to feel so alienated with yourself, wondering just who on earth was staring back at you in those reflections you desperately wished to avoid?

You groaned to yourself, unable to get rid of such an unpleasant and uncomfortable feeling. Perhaps you should try getting surgery. Maybe then you can fix your body somehow. But then again, it wasn't like you had the money, and the thought of going through with such a thought still filled your stomach with nerves.

You paced around the room, closing your eyes while balling your hands into fists as you attempted to distract yourself. You felt like shuddering from how ugly and dirty your body felt on the inside, like it was filled with nothing more than unwashable grime. You wished you could just leave such weightful thoughts already; they dragged you down far too much.

But no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't shake the feeling away. It was much more stubborn and insistent than usual, and you could feel yourself growing even more and more frustrated. Your hand ran through your hair in despair, your breathing starting to grow much more ragged as your feelings started to consume you, your heart pumping furiously in your chest.

Disgusting.

Disgusting.

DISGUSTING.

As you paced by the dresser mirror, the corner of your eyes caught sight of your reflection, and something within you snapped. In complete rage and hopelessness, you grabbed a nearby object, not even bothering to look at what it was, and whipped it towards the mirror. The shattering sound temporarily helped bring you back to a more rational mindset, but you still couldn't help but remain heaving at the broken and cracked reflection.

Within seconds, Gladio appeared at the doorway, having dropped whatever it was he was doing to check on what happened and see if you were okay. His eyes widened the slightest bit at the sight before him, broken shards of the mirror littering the top of the dresser with your frantic and desperate eyes glaring at the distorted image reflected.

Feeling his presence, you whipped your head towards the doorway, your eyebrows furrowed together in pain, fear, helplessness, and so much more. The anger had subsided by then, calming down when you were met with the face of your boyfriend, and instead of anger, you were now being washed over with despair. Your vision became hazy as you bit back a pitiful whimper, your eyes pleading for comfort and help.

Your arms hung loosely by your side while your shoulders sagged like a heavy weight was placed upon you, feeling like giving up. But Gladio didn't give up nor did he ever plan on giving up on you. He approached you with purposeful steps, tugging you close to his chest and embracing you.

"I'm sorry," you breathed out, your words showing just how tired you were.

The Shield's lips found the top of your head, and he muttered, "Don't be. You can get through this. I'll be here every step of the way, and _you will get through this_."

He held your body close, the body you've come to despise and feel disconnected with, but the man's words reached a deeper part of you. He touched upon something indescribable inside you, and you were reminded of how loved you— _the real you that you felt comfortable as_ —truly were.

The pair of you stood there like that for a moment longer, wanting nothing more than this peace you felt to continue. You knew that your self-hatred towards your body wouldn't disappear—not completely and not so easily—but it was manageable. And for the days that were difficult to hold yourself together, you knew that Gladio would be more than enough to help keep you up together.


	18. Sorry, Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Angst | "Sorry for being born."**  
>  **NOTE:** Contains attempted suicide.

The wind whispers in your ears, the noise of the grand and energetic city below barely able to reach you due to how high you were, away from everything. When you were climbing up the stairs of this tall and closed off building, your heart was beating wildly in your chest. With each step up, you had tried to leave behind all of your troubles and worries. There was nothing else for you here; no other choice left but this. Nobody could save you, even if that was what you sought for the most.

With a deep breath, you slowly lift yourself up onto the other side of the ledge, your legs wobbly and shaky. You've made your choice and finished your preparations. Nobody should be able to find you here. You will die here. Alone. Just like you have always been. Or perhaps your heart had already died a long time ago and it was time for your body to join.

Your eyes peer down to the ground so dizzyingly far below, and your heart jumps to your throat. You're scared—of course you're scared, why wouldn't you be? It's not like you want to die, not truly, but what else was there for you? You had no one. You had nothing. You were nothing. ...It's okay. Nobody would miss you anyways, right? It's not like you mattered to anyone—

You close your eyes, tears pricking at the corner of them out of fear, loneliness, dread, and everything else you've kept bottled up inside. Your fingers are gripping tightly onto the ledge behind you, your feet barely supported by what little footing the building had. All you had to do was push yourself off, and everything will be over. Just like that. In a flash.

No more pain. No more suffering.

So then why do you hesitate? Why do you wish in the back of your mind that somebody will come in last minute and convince you otherwise? This kind of thing... In the end, people will only see it as an excuse to get attention, and maybe they're right. You know what people say and have heard it many times before. _It's selfish. It's wrong. It's stupid._

Lost in your thoughts and grappling dread of what's to come, you don't hear the door to the rooftop being desperately swung open.

Gladio's eyes are frantic as he searches for your figure, and he finds it soon enough, standing at the edge. His heart stops for a moment when he sees your lonely-looking back, so small and vulnerable. Why hadn't he realized it earlier? Why hadn't he seen the signs? Was he that blissfully ignorant of your feelings? He feels like a failure for having allowed things to come like this, but at the very least, he was somewhat thankful to have reached you before you could walk off the edge and away from his life.

When he received the mass-sent text from you, he had felt true fear. His voice was frantic when he called up Ignis and anybody else who could possibly help locate your location, his legs already mindlessly running through the streets without a second thought. He had tried to call your phone, but you never picked up, much to his dread with his thoughts going off to imagine the worst. But then Ignis had texted the Shield, saying they were able to track your phone signal at a site that was currently under some construction.

" _We know where their phone is, but not their exact location nor state_ ," the royal advisor warned the man. " _We have to consider... all possibilities._ "

Snapping himself back to the present, Gladio takes a few tentative steps to where you are. He doesn't want to scare you, so he makes a conscious effort of controlling his voice as he calls out your name. The Shield sees your shoulders tense up, and he in turn stops moving for a second, afraid that he already messed things up.

But you don't move, merely continue to stand there on the precipice of falling off.

Gladio tries again, "Hey, I got your message..."

Silence.

"Can... Can we talk?" The man asks, swallowing the uncomfortable lump in his throat as he slowly tries to lessen the distance between you two.

"...About what?"

Gladio opens his mouth to say something before biting down on his tongue, realizing that what he was going to say might be insensitive and rude. That isn't what you need right now, so he remains quiet for a few seconds as he thinks about his response. He might be good with throwing around flirtatious words, but this was something else entirely different, and it was something he feared he might be inadequate at.

_Why?_ He wants to ask, but he understands that there's no way you can answer such a complicated question.

_Please don't do this._ He wants to beg, but he doesn't want to make you feel guilty or anything like that.

He takes too long to answer, the silence stretching on for far too long, and you carefully turn around to face the Shield. His lips press together in a firm line when he sees the wet streaks on your cheeks, your entire body trembling as your mind becomes even more clouded. Gladio hesitantly lifts up an arm, holding his hand outstretched for you to take.

"...Come here," he requests. " _Please_..."

The seconds that tick by feel like an eternity as you stare at the open palm, internally debating your next action. Gladio takes one step forward, and your fingers clutch onto the ledge as you lean back by a fraction, so he freezes. He wants to say something, but he can't think of anything.

"I'm sorry," you whisper, your words carried by the wind. "I'm sorry for being born."

With those final words, you let go and take a step back into nothingness just as Gladio lunges himself forward to try to reach you, but his reactions are far too slow, and you slip past his fingers.

* * *

Gladio jolts himself to attention when he feels a firm hand on his shoulder, and the man looks up to see Ignis greeting him with a wry smile. The advisor hands the Shield a cup of coffee which he takes more out of obligation rather than anything else. The cup is warm against his palm, but he barely registers the sensation, his gaze falling back to your sleeping form.

"It's a good thing that safety net was there to catch them and minimize injuries," Ignis comments idly, hoping to start up some form of conversation.

Gladio merely offers a distracted hum, his index finger tapping against the cup in his hand. "...They said that they were sorry." When he isn't met with a response, the man takes that as his cue to continue and explain, "They said that they were sorry for being born."

"I see..."

Gladio bites down hard on his lower lip as he tries to control himself. He's already received a warning from the staff that they would kick him out if he made another scene, and he couldn't afford that. He couldn't leave your side now. "I get it... I get it if they're sorry for not going to talk to someone about this, but there's no reason to be sorry just for existing. _Why?_ There's no reason to feel bad just because we were born. It's not like we had control over that, so _why_? I don't understand!"

Ignis' eyes grow sympathetic as his friend struggles to make sense of your decision and actions. Naturally, it's not like the royal advisor himself fully knows and understands your choice either, but he can bring himself to empathize better than the Shield. With a quiet sigh, he responds, "Perhaps they've experienced things in their life that made them feel guilty towards their own birth. There's no way for us to know unless they're willing to share, but the least we could do is try to remind them of how grateful we are of them and their existence when they wake up."


	19. Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff | You can't sleep, so Gladio stays with you until you do.**

Things have been hectic this past couple of weeks. As expected, the stress had started to affect your sleeping schedule, keeping you up at night while tossing and turning on your bed. The room would become filled with your deep and restless sighs as you struggled to find some sleep, and even when you were able to get some shut-eye, for some godsforsaken reason, you'd end up waking up continuously in the middle of the night.

Gladio was teasing at first, commenting on how you looked like a cute panda with your dark circles and bags underneath your eyes as you tiredly sipped your coffee. You usually would have given him a playful punch to his arm for making such an embarrassing remark, but you couldn't even bring yourself to let alone reprimand him as you struggled to get through the hours of waking life.

The Shield was obviously worried, but he didn't really think much of it until you started to frequently complain about headaches and how heavy your body felt and even got to the point that you ended up collapsing in the middle of the day, much to everybody's concern.

"Alright," Gladio's voice sounded authoritative and determined as he carried you back in his arms to your apartment, leaving no room for argument. "You _seriously_ need to get some good sleep."

You wince at the throbbing in your head, and an apologetic look crosses your face. "Sorry," you mumble against the man's chest, an attempt to shield away the bright lights of the busy city that made your headache worse.

Gladio spares you a downward glance, and he exhales a small sigh of fond exasperation, pulling you closer against him. He knew that you were stubborn and prone to pushing yourself well past your limits, but if he knew that things would have had come to this, he would have acted much sooner.

It doesn't take long before the pair of you arrive at your apartment. You separate yourself away enough from the man so that you can reach for your key and open the door. Even after walking inside, Gladio refuses to let you down, closing the door shut behind him with a swift kick of his feet. He removes his shoes at the doorway while you awkwardly do the same in his arms.

Without a single word, the Shield's feet pad towards your bedroom and carefully sets you down onto your bed. A blissful sigh of relief escapes you when you feel the familiar comfort of your mattress on your back, and you practically sink into it. The room is much quieter than it was outside, and it is a much welcome change in environment.

"Sleep," Gladio's rumbling voice breaks through the silence, and you frown.

It's easier said than done. If it was that simple to fall asleep, then you wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. Pursing your lips and stitching your eyebrows together in frustration, you tell him, "I can't."

The Shield sighs in equal frustration; however, not at yourself but rather the situation itself. There's a short pause before he settles himself beside you on the bed, and you scoot over to give him space, but there's no need. His arms scoop you up and brings in your body close to his, the familiar warmth radiating from him enveloping you completely.

He plants his lips atop your head and murmurs as to not break the peace of the moment, "I'll stay with you."

You exhale a soft breath of gratitude and nod your head, a wordless promise that you'll try to sleep and regain your strength for both of your sakes. Slowly, your eyelids fall shut, and you ignore all the thoughts that swirl in your head. Instead, you press your ear close to the Shield's chest and listen to his heartbeat.

It is a steady and even rhythm, washing over you with a sense of calmness. The small breaths of Gladio's are also in tune, his fingers running through the strands of your hair in an unfaltering pattern. Without even realizing it, you are lulled asleep by the love song that is Gladio's heart beating for you and you alone.


	20. Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort | You accidentally speak your thoughts out loud.**

Silence can both be an ally and an enemy. In this case, the silence is acting like an enemy, leaving you all alone to suffer in your thoughts. It's in quiet times like these does your mind wander. At times, they're merely innocent thoughts like recalling the events of the day or thinking about your upcoming schedule, but other times, you were hit with ugly reminders and painful memories.

Lying down on the unfamiliar bed while mindlessly staring up at the ceiling, you unintentionally end up speaking your thoughts out loud, " _I'm a disgusting and horrible human being_..."

Gladio's ears perk up at the sudden break in silence and looks up from his book, his eyebrows stitched together and lips marred into a frown, thinking that maybe he just heard you wrong. "What?"

The Shield's question snaps you out of your self-wallowing, prompting you to sit up on the bed and parrot back, "What?"

There's a small pause as the man's eyes narrow by a fraction. This time, Gladio shuts the book he has in hand and then places it down on the nearby table before standing up from his seat and heading over towards you on the bed. Iris had taken Noctis out to show him around Lestallum while Prompto accompanied Ignis to buy some curatives, leaving both you and Gladio alone at the hotel.

The springs of the mattress creak underneath Gladio's added weight as he sits down on the side of the bed and looks at you with slight concern. "You just said that you were a 'disgusting and horrible human being'," he says. "Care to explain what you mean by that?"

You cringe for a second at your own carelessness and try to muster up a smile to the best of your abilities. He's already heard you, so there isn't any reason for you to lie and play dumb. "Oh, that. I must have accidentally said what I was thinking out loud. Don't worry about it."

"And why would you think that?" Gladio presses you further when he realizes that you truly believed those words you unconsciously muttered out, and you dig your teeth into your bottom lip while avoiding his gaze.

Giving a wry and heavy shrug of your shoulders, you respond, "It's just a thought that crosses by my mind every now and then. It's nothing, really."

Feeling uncomfortable with this topic of conversation, you excuse yourself and hurriedly leave the bed to go to the washroom. Gladio reaches out to grab your arm and prevent you from running away, but he stops himself when he sees the frantic expression on your visage. You lock the door to the washroom behind you and exhale deeply as you lean against the door and slide down to the floor.

Burying your face in between your knees, you inwardly curse yourself. It wasn't like you wanted to show this more self-deprecating side of yourself to the Shield. He always seemed so confident and sure of himself, it made you feel even more inferior about yourself. You could pretend to be just as confident as him, following in his own examples, but in the end, it was all just make-believe.

With a shuddering breath, you hug yourself as you're reminded of all of your flaws by the same voices who always told you such things. If something were to be repeated over and over again, you eventually start to accept those words as the truth, especially if they came from somebody whom you thought you trusted and respected.

Those jabbing words continue to stab through you, making your body ache with pain, and there's no stopping them now. The voices are loud in your head, and you can't ignore them at all, and it's impossible to push them away no matter how hard you try. _Why can't they just leave you alone already?!_

Amidst the mocking laughter echoing in your ears, you pick up on the sound of a gentle knock on the door. For one brief second, the voices silence themselves, and you hold your breath. On the other side of the door, you hear Gladio call out your name, sounding uncertain and hesitant. You've never heard him sound like that before.

"Are... you okay?" Even his question sounded rather awkward, and you lifted your head up from your knees. When you don't respond, the Shield continues, "Listen, I'm not really that good with this whole comforting thing, but could I at least do it while looking at you in the face?"

It was true that Gladio's way of comforting someone was " _rougher_ " than most people, so hearing him this subdued came as a pleasant surprise. Making sure that there aren't any tears on your face, you wobble back up to your feet and turn to face the door. Taking a deep breath to mentally prepare yourself, you turn the knob and open the washroom door.

Gladio stands there at the doorway, and you barely catch a glimpse of him relaxing his shoulders. He opens his mouth to speak, but you beat him to it and quickly blurt out, "I don't want to talk about it."

He clamps his lips shut, and the corners slightly tug downwards. It looks like he wants to argue with your decision, but with a reluctant sigh, he relents and respects your choice. "Fine, but can I at least just say one thing?"

Although you're a bit wary, you nod your head, your arms defensively moving to cross over your chest. "What is it?"

Your shift in body language doesn't escape Gladio's notice, and he heaves another sigh, one of his hands moving to rub the back of his neck. "I think you're an amazing person, and the last thing I ever want to do is upset you or make you feel uncomfortable. I know I'm not exactly the best person to turn to, but I still hope that you'd consider talking to me if there's something on your mind."

"...Do you ever feel bad about yourself?"

The Shield is a bit taken aback by the sudden question and change of topic. "What?"

Chewing at your lower lip, you repeat your question, "Do you ever feel bad about yourself? Like, do you ever feel... _insecure_?"

Gladio doesn't even take a second to think about his answer and responds straight away, "Yeah. More often than you'd think, actually."

"Really? But you always seem so... so sure of yourself."

There's a small chuckle that rumbles from the man's chest as he nods his head to confirm, his hands moving to rest on his hips. "Not all the time. Sometimes I worry if I'm strong enough to protect the people I care about. Sometimes I worry if it's not my lack of strength but rather my pursuit of it that will make me lose the people that matter to me. And I even worry that—"

Gladio catches himself before he can say anything further, and he falls quiet.

_I worry that I might never be good enough for you._

"Hm?" You curiously tilt your head to the side, wondering just what it was the man was about to say next, but he just shakes his head.

"It's nothing. But you get what I mean, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose so..." You know that your own insecurities won't go away so easily, and perhaps they never will, but it feels reassuring to know that the man you look up to and admire is in the same boat as you. If he can get through it, then maybe you can too.


	21. Needs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Drama | You get drugged, but Gladio saves you from the worst case scenario.**

It was supposed to be a simple time to just let loose. After everything that’s happened, everyone had decided it wouldn’t hurt to indulge themselves in a night club close to the hotel where you and the others were staying. Perhaps it was because of the wilder atmosphere of the setting, but Gladio had fallen back to his flirtatious ways, sweet-talking some women he came across.

You didn’t mind it that much, in all honesty. Of course it made you feel a bit jealous, but at the same time, you trusted Gladio and his love for you. You knew that he only held you in his heart. And besides, it wasn’t like you and Gladio always had to be together merely because you were dating. Some distance every now and then was healthy to have. As long as the Shield’s flirting never went beyond appropriate words and didn’t involve touching, you had no qualms with his behaviour. In any case, you were too busy enjoying yourself along with Noctis and Prompto who really knew how to kick back to pay much attention to Gladio’s flirting in the first place.

There weren’t any problems on those accounts, but there was _a_ problem that had arisen.

You were careless. You should have been more careful. You had lost your friends somewhere in the crowd, and so you decided to take a break with your drink which you, in your distracted and tired state from your journey with the Crown prince to retake his throne, forgot that you had taken your eyes away from. It shouldn’t have been for more than a few moments that you allowed your beverage out of your sight, but it was more than enough time for someone to have slipped something inside.

Your thoughts grew hazy, vision becoming unfocused as the realization that you were drugged dawned on you, and you grew panicked. Whipping your head around the club, your eyes instinctively sought out Gladio, your pillar of strength and comfort, but you couldn’t find him anywhere in the area.

A hand settled itself on your shoulder, somebody’s presence having appeared behind you. It was an unfamiliar one. There were warning alarms going off in your mind, but you couldn’t think straight, the drugs already taking effect. You couldn’t act like how you knew you should act in this situation, and it terrified you.

With your consciousness wavering, you couldn’t bring yourself to struggle against being guided by this stranger. It wasn’t your will. Your thoughts became clouded just as somebody new walked in front of you, blocking your path. Your eyes slightly widened when you were met with a familiar inked design of a bird, and you felt immense relief wash over you. It could only be one person.

Just before you could be taken away, Gladio had caught sight of you in the crowd from the corner of his eyes. Maybe it was accidental, or maybe his eyes were just always naturally drawn to you, wherever you were, and the moment he laid eyes on you, he knew that something was wrong. The Shield had excused himself from the woman he was previously talking to and immediately jogged over to where you were.

After assessing the situation, Gladio grew angry. It wasn’t the same kind of explosive anger he’d show every now and then whenever he snapped. No, this one was much more great. It was the kind of anger so intense that you can only appear outwardly calm but with your insides raging with pure spite. That was exactly how Gladio was like.

Not wanting to cause a scene, the Shield placed a firm hand on the shoulder of the man who was trying to lead you away, and Gladio squeezed. _Hard_. A low snarl fell from his lips, jaw hardened and eyes dark with an unspoken threat that left the other man shuddering with fear. Gladio let go, and the culprit ran and fled without looking back.

Without so much of a second thought, Gladio picked you up, cradling your frame in his arms as he brought you back to the hotel, uncaring of all the sideglances and whispers he received. By the time he arrived at the hotel room, you had already succumbed to the effects of the drug and blacked out.

Ignis, who happened to have stayed behind and been going over an inventory list, jumped in his seat when the door opened with a bang. The royal advisor snapped his head towards the door, a set expression on his face as he was prepared to chide the one responsible, only to have the words die in his throat when he saw the menacing look on his friend’s face.

Taking quick strides, the Shield walked over to the bed in silence, carefully laying down your vulnerable figure. He brushed some strands of hair away from your face, the man’s fingers visibly trembling from both fear and anger. Ignis merely stood there to the side, confused and concerned as he watched the way Gladio squared his shoulders upon standing back to full height. It was the same look he got whenever he was off to fight.

Providing no explanation whatsoever, the Shield spoke in a low and deep tone, one that Ignis had never heard before that it struck him with fear. “Take care of them for me. I have something to take care of.”

With those final words, he left the room. As Shield of the Crown Prince, Gladio had to behave with a sense of decorum. How he behaved and acted as the Shield reflected on the Prince himself, but right then, he wasn’t acting as the Shield. At that moment, Gladiolus Amicitia was acting as an average man who almost had the one person that he loved put in danger.

_Public images be damned._

What he planned to do was not under the name of Lucis or even Noctis. It was for you, and for you alone.

* * *

When Gladio returned to the hotel after taking care of his business, Ignis was found sitting on a chair by your bedside, his eyes monitoring you. The advisor’s gaze rose up towards the Shield when he heard the door open, and his attention was immediately drawn to the small splotches of red on the taller man’s knuckles.

“I’m assuming that isn’t your blood,” Ignis spoke with a calm and even tone as he adjusted his glasses on his nose, his words coming out as more of a statement rather than a question.

“It’s not.”

The advisor heaved a sigh. “So, what did you do?”

“Punched the bastard hard in the jaw. He deserved worse, but I was worried and wanted to come back as soon as I could. I’ve already contacted the authorities about it, so that’s fine,” the Shield explained before pausing, his gaze flickering over to your sleeping face. “…How are they?”

Exhaling another sigh, Ignis answered, “They’ve been drugged, though I’m sure you already knew that. We can’t do much for them now except wait for them to wake up.”

There’s a tense moment of silence in the air which is only broken when Gladio speaks up again. “…I should have been there.”

“You’ve prevented the worst case scenario from happening,” Ignis replied, trying to dispel the indescribable guilt his friend most certainly felt.

“There never should have been a scenario like that in the first place.” Although his words were spoken at a reasonable volume, they still felt incredibly loud, the man’s hands clenching themselves into tight fists by his sides as he gritted his teeth.

“It’s not your fault.”

When Gladio refused to respond, Ignis exhaled one final sigh as he stood up from his seat and stretched out his muscles. His gaze flickered over to your unconscious figure, and a wry smile formed on his lips. “They’ve always been so stubborn and strong-willed, I sometimes forget that they still need someone to look after them.”

Walking towards the door to give Gladio some time alone with you, Ignis paused in his steps when he reached the Shield’s side, his hand clasping onto his friend’s shoulder in reassurance. “Take good care of them, Gladio. They need you just as much as you need them.”


End file.
